Improved apparatus for distilling rock-oil and other hydrocarbons



3 SheetsSheet 1.

E. P. PRENTISS & 3.1L ROBERTSON. APPARATUS FOR DISTI LLING ROCK OIL AND OTHER HYDROUARBONS.

No. 41,858. Patented M3128, 1864 witness es: I

3 SheetsSheet 2.

E. P. PRENTISS & RQA. ROBERTSON. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING BOOK OIL AND OTHER HYDROOARBONS.

No. 41,858. Patented Mar. 8, 1864.

0% Y (Madam w: norms virus :0. PHOTO-LUNG" WASHINGTON, n. c.

E. P. PRENTLSS & R. ,A. ROBERTSON. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING ROCK OIL AND OTHER HYDROG ARBONS.

No. 41,858. Patented Mar. 8, 1864.

witnesses.- /en W W WM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

UNITED STATES PATENTXO'FFIQE- ELlJA H', FREEMAN PRENTISS, or PHILADELPHIA, rnivnsvtvnnm, AND

V ROBERT ADAM ROBERTSON, or mvnnroon, ENGLAND.-

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING ROCK-OIL- AND OTHER HYDROCARBONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 41,858, dated March 8, 1864.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ELIJAHYFREEMAN Pnnx'riss, nowof the city of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, and ROBERT ADAM ROBERTSON, of Liverpool, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Distilling Rock-Oil, \Vell-Oil, or

other Hydrocarbon Oils; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l isa side view of our apparatus, the globular still being cut away to show its internal arrangement Fig. 2, avertical section through the entire apparatus supposed to be filled and in full operation; Fig. 3. a horizontal section corresponding to Fig. 2, and taken 011 theline 9 10-ofFig. 2, showing also in dotted lines the partitionsdividing the chambers at the tops of thecolumns. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the castings forming the bases of the different columns, showing the internal partitions for directing the currents of vapor into the proper quadrants; Fig. 5, a similar view of the castings forming the tops of the columns, showing the partition'for directing the currents of vapor, said partition being at right angles with the longer partition of the bases. O'ur improvement has for its-object the obtaining of various classes of products by the distillation of crude well-oil, petroleum-oil, -&c. By using the number of columns shown to be substituted for turpentinesay,about 160 Fahrenheit-and, finally, the benzine and other condensable products of the vapor are condensed in a cold worm. -\Ve pass or feed Similar letters of reference indicate corre-v sponding parts in the several figures.

In the annexed drawings, A A represent the still; B B B B. the first condenser: C C G Gi, the second condenser, and'D D D" D the third condenser.

We construct our still AA" of cast-iron in a spherical form about eight feet in diameter, and surround it by a wrought-iron jacket, leaving a steam-space of about three inches.

This spherical still is attached to a verticaltube, e e e e,which terminates in a vertical stem or rod,f f, which has a screw out upon its upper extremity. The vertical tube e e e 0 slides upon a hollow vertical column of cast-iron, G G G,expanded at its base so as to make a hollow pedestal. This hollow column G G G forms a'support for the spherical still and also a tube of escape for the vapors of the boiling crude oil which it contains, the vapors arising from the oil in the still following thedirections of the arrowsthat is, over the top of, into, and vertically down through G G, thence through the cross-tubes H H, thence it ascends through the vertical tubes incolumn B B, its course being indicatedf-by the white spaces and also by the arrows,as willbe' more fully described hereinafter.

- By means of the sliding'of thetube ea c c 'to which'the still A A. is immediately at; tached upon the column G G'Gf, therelative.

position of the upper extremity of the tube G G G" to the 'surface. of the liquid canbe changed through tlie'mediunrof the nut ff and the screwsF F. Any-liquid oilwhich may accidentally froth over into G GG falls to the bottom of the column and escapes through the escape-pipe G". I 1

still A A through the tube a", which termimates in a spiral coil, a" a a having numerous'small apertures. The spiral coil a" a" a is roughened on the exterior so as to form a multitude of small points, each being a point of ebullition, in order to disseminate the'h'eat throughout the mass of the contents, and thus securea quiet ebullition. There is an aperture or passage of escape for the heavy re- 'siduum which would remain in the still A A. This passage of escape is shown at gg, being a tube leading from the bottom of the still A.

g" is a movable tube attached to' g 9' so as to form a tap, shut when Vertical, and usually kept open more or less. Through this the heavy greasy or tarry residuum escapes. By moving this tube gto different'elevations the grease can be drawn more'or less freely. The fresh'crude oil is constantly fed into the still through the tube L in the manner presently tobe described.

The construction of the three condensingcolumns, B B O G D D, is as follows: Each column is composed of a cylinder of rolled COP,

per about fifteen inches diameter and about eight'feet high. The interior is filled with a series of tubes of copper about one inch in diameter-say about eighty-eight in number or twenty-two in each quadrant-space. These tubes are attached at the head and base to a perforated plate one-half inch thick. Immediately above and below each column there are chambers. (Shown at B and B, B and B, C and 0, G and O, D and" D, D and D".) These chambers at the bottom serve for cross'passages between the extremities of the tubes. The tubes are so arranged that the vaporfrom the still A entering through the tube G G. and the cross-tube .H' H intothe chamber B will ascend in the tubes which are white or uneolored on one quarter of the circle, as shown by the arrow, to the top chamber, 13, where it will. pass across and descend through a corresponding set of tubes marked white.

Referring'to Fig.3, part B, which is the base of B B, the course-of vapor willbe more distinctly shown. The vapor ascends through the tubes in quadrant marked 1 to the top chamber, where it passes across and descends through the quadrant marked 2 to the bot tom chamber, where it descends through quadrant marked 3 to thetop, and descends through quadrant marked 4,.whenceit passes on to the next ,column, O, passing through the tube'F F into the chamber 0, where it ascends and descends successively through the tubes marked white'in the quadants of indicate it being filled by the oil.

C, respectively marked 1, 2, 3, and 4, in the same manner in which it ascended and do scended through the four quadrants of B. Thence it passes out of quadrant 4 of column 0, through F F into D, and here it ascends and descends successively through the the space ZZZ between the tubes in to the height shown, which space is colored green to The oil ntroduced into this space obviously surrounds and makes a bath for the vapor-tubes m (not colored) before described. After filling the space around the vapor-tubes in G G the crude oil passes across through L into the space around the vapor-tubes in B B, and at ter surrounding and forming a bath for the vapor-tubes min B B,it passes thence through 'L 1/ into the stillA. An auxillary mode of filling the still A at starting can be had through an auxillary attachment at L direct with the reservoir of crude oil.

In the column D D, instead of introducing crude oil into the space around the vaportuoes, cold water is introduced from the tub inclosing the worm 1 to formabath for the vapor-tubes (colored yellow in lhedrawings.) The water escapes through the waste- -pipe M.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows, viz: The still and firsttwo columns being filled with crude oil to the levels shown in Fig. 2, and the third column being filled with water, superheated steam isadmitted within the outside jacket of the still A at a, and also-through the steam-tubes of the difi'erent columns, until they attain the differentdegrees of heat at which the columns are to be set when the regulating apparatus attached to each column is put in gear. into thestill through a a a," a." The vapor driven off bythe heat so obtained rises above and passes through G .G and H H" into and through the vapor-tubes m of the column B B. The vapor, in passing through these vaportubes of B B, is partially-condensed by the crude-oil bath (mark ed green) which surrounds them. This crude oil in B B is maintained at any desired temperature-say 400 Fahrenheit-and. the liquid condensed at that, temperature falls down the tubes into the chambers at the bottom of the column, andmay be separately drawn off through three separate worms, one worm for each compartment of said chamber, or, as shown by the drawings, through one worm at a, and-finally is received into a tank at n in the form-of a marketable lubri- Then superheated steam is injected eating-oil. The Worm 'Il" isformed as shown, having its delivery end raised outside of'the worm-tub a little above the surface of the cold similar to that under the column B B', and is drawn off in the form of burning-oil at N", fit for market.- The vapor which is not condensed at the last-named temperature-via, -260 passes= on through F" E to the vaportubes in column D D,' which are surrounded with water, (shown yellow,) maintained at any de'sired-temperature-say 160.-. Theliquid condensed at that temperature descends into the chambers at the bottom of column D D,

-when it passes off through a" and a into a cooling-worm or worms similar to that under the column B B ,and is then drawn oft in the form that we call turps or a substitute for turpentine. The vapor-which is not condensable at 160 passes out at FY into another worm, F, in which it is surrounded with cold water, and thus condensed and drawn ofi'at F" in the form of benzine. Any remaining incondensable vapor passes off through a waste-pipe, F.

The "regulation of the temperature in the respective columns is effected by means of a sealed air-tube, 0,, (colored red,) which connects by a cross-tube, O, with a small inverted cup, P, resting on a mercury bath and attached by a stem, P, to the lever B, which lever raises and lowers the rod S, which rod S works the throttle T, which admits the cold water, and thethrottle T, which admits steam to the column D D. When the heat in thecolumn D D rises above 160, the airin O, expanding, is forced into the interior of the inverted cup P and elevates it, carrying up the lever B and the rod S, thereby throttling the steam at T and openingthe cold-water supply at T, and the cap P descends and reverses the action at T and T, respectively, whenever the air in 0 falls to a temperature lower than 160.- The degree of heat is ascertained in the first instance 'from a therinometer inserted into the column, as at U, Fig. 2, a separate thermometer being inserted in each of the oil-columns for a similar purpose. The temperature of 360 in B B and of 260 in O C is maintained by a similar apparatus operating on the crude oil to be admitted on the one hand. and upon the steam on the other hand in like manner, as is above described for D D.

\Ve have attached to the top of the two columns B B and OG auxiliary chambers V V, the use of which is to separate any oil which may be carried up by the vapor from the boilingfspaces, (shown colorless) at the top of thecolumns. Thus if the vapors and oil together ascend through W'into the chamber V, the oil falls to the bottom. of V and finds its way back into the crude oil through the tube W. The vapors ascend to the top of V and pass off through \V into the head of the column B B, and mix with the'vapors passing into the column 0 O". 'A similar arrangement is attached to the top of O O for a similarpurpose. There is a portion of condensed steam or water which finds its way along with the vapor into B B and into C 0". A small portion-of -this steam is con densed in the chambersV and V, and the water forms and collects in the water-legs X and X, and escapes from the bottom of these waterrleg's through taps Y and Y. These taps are opened and closed by floats Z and Z, which rise in water and fall in oil; hence, when there is any water there,they float and open the tap, and when it is gone the float-s fall and shut the taps. The bottom of the main hollow stand, in whichthestillArests, is heated by means of steam introduced through the passage a a into a. A similar arrangement of steam-passage a at a 'maintains the temperature in B B, and in the chamber at the bottom of B B, and so of the column 0 O by the steam-passage-a", a and a The number of columns B B', O0, and D Dmay be increased to any extent, each column being set and maintained at'a different temperature, and separating a distinct product, effecting, in fact-,;;a continuous fractional distillation.

Having thus described our improvement,

' what we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Paten-t, is-

1. The combination offthe still'A, the injecting-worm a a" a d? and the central tube, G G G".

' 2. Roughening the surface of the injectingworm or tube a" a a to render the ebullition regular and quiet.

3. The combination of the still A with the series of coluirms, three'or more; each column being set and maintained at the temperature necessary to separate the product condensable at such temperature,whereby at one continuous operation the crude oil is separated into the various products due to condensation at the different temperaturesfixed upon.

4. The arrangement of 'the-vaportubes and oil-spaces in columns B B or 00, whereby the crude oil on its way tersnpply the still A is made to act as a condensing-bath to the vaporsin these columns coming from the still-A.

. The arrangement of the columns B Band 00' in combination with the still A and the movable exit-tube 9, whereby the operation of the still is rendered continuous,

6. The air-regulator or its-equivalent, for

regulating the temperature of the respective columns, or either of them, in combination with-the pipes of supply of the heating, a

cooling media.

7. The water-legs X, and the floats Z, for regulating the escape of water from the colmnns.

8. The auxiliary heads V V, for enabling the oil bath in each column to act as a still.

9'. The warming ofthe bottoms of the chambers,which are at the bases of the columns, by means ef steam-chambers arranged and cperating as shown above.

10. lhe warming of bhe bottom of the column on which the still A. is supported, substantially as above described EL'IJAH FREEMAN PREN'LISS. R0 BERT ADAM ROBERTSON.

Witnesses:

.T. E. SHAW, CHAs. B. HELFENSTEIN. 

